Seventeen albino or albino-factored Dobermans have been recognized as imported into Canada and regsitered with the Canadian Kennel Club so far. Fortunately, the Doberman Pinscher Club of America started identifying and tracking these dogs with their Z list, and later the American Kennel Club started inserting a Z into the registration numbers of these dogs making them easier to recognize and identify.

These seventeen Dobermans are albinos themselves OR dogs of an accepted colour, all descended from albino and/or albino-factored Dobermans.Therefore, they either do carry or may possibly carry the gene for albinism and SHOULD NOT BE BRED.Descendants from these dogs could possibly carry the gene for albinism.The gene for albinism is recessive.It can be passed along for a long, long time before expressing itself when bred to another Doberman that carries the gene.Even when bred to another that carries the gene, it may not express itself at that time.Therefore, to eliminate the possibility of producing albinos, ALL of the possible carriers should be removed from the gene pool, and spayed/neutered.While carriers may not be expressing the trait phenotypically (in appearance), they are spreading the undesirable gene throughout the population by continuing to breed them.Breeding an albino-factored Doberman to a non-factored Doberman passes the gene along roughly 50% of the time.The puppies that receive the gene will be carriers of albinism. There is a DNA test to identify these puppies at this time. However, we will continue to maintain the Canadian albino and albino factored list, regardless, as these puppies are still descended from albino lines, and are considered undesirable for breeding even if they didn't inherit the albino gene.

Keep in mind that albino and albino-factored Dobermans are being exported from the US into other countries as well.We don’t know what tracking systems they may have in place, if any.All breeding pedigrees must be carefully checked for possible albino or albino-factored Dobermans.